


dum spiro, cor meum tuum est

by eddiebles



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: A Very Pathetic Fight Scene Because I Don't Know How To Write Those, Age Gap Of 11 Years, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Ancient Rome, Attempted Murder, Blood, Bottom Eddie Kaspbrak, But not between Eddie and Richie, Come Swallowing, Come as Lube, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Frank Kaspbrak Is An Amazing Father, Frank Kaspbrak Is The King!, GOOGLE TRANSLATED LATIN DIALOGUE, Gladiator AU, Gladiator Richie Tozier, Gladiator Times, Graphic Description Of Wanting To Rape A Minor, Groping Of A Minor, Historical Inaccuracy, I used google translate, I used the word suicide once, LATIN DIALOGUE INACCURACY, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Masturbation, Mentions of Slavery, Minor Mention of Ben Hanscom, Minor Mention of Beverly Marsh, Minor Mention of Bill Denbrough, Minor Mention of Mike Hanlon, Minor Mention of Stanley Uris, No Sonia Kaspbrak!, Non-con Kissing Of A Minor, Oil as Lube, Original Character(s), Prince Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Roman Gods & Goddesses, Secret Relationship, Slight feminization, Top Richie Tozier, Use of Swords, gladiator fights, i suck at writing smut so i apologize in advance, it's mentioned once that Eddie has a small dick, please don't attack me, royal au, sexual harassment of a minor, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 11:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25849156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddiebles/pseuds/eddiebles
Summary: Eddie doesn’t know what else can he say that he hasn’t said a thousand times before. He knows there was no point in fighting Richie about this anymore, there was nothing that would change Richie’s mind. Instead, he trails his hands up to cup the back of the gladiator’s neck and stares into the dark blue eyes he had fallen for two years prior.He was so in love with this man, there was no denying the fact. But he couldn’t do this anymore, he couldn’t continue meeting with him and kissing him and letting Richie slip into his bed when Eddie knew he couldn’t say yes to Richie’s proposal. He couldn’t take Richie’s chance of a life outside the castle walls and demolish it by saying yes. The prince knew what he had to do.But not now. Not when there was still time for them. And Eddie wanted to spend every last moment holding Richie before he sets the man free forever. Eddie rakes his fingers through the hairs on the nape of Richie’s neck and pushes his face down to connect their lips.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 13
Kudos: 50





	dum spiro, cor meum tuum est

**Author's Note:**

> hiya pals ! i am back again posting a new fic :-)  
> this one was started because i had a very very weird dream about gladiators and the need to write a reddie gladiator au took over my mind . this was how this monstrosity was birthed 
> 
> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THE TAGS !!!! I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET TRIGGERED BY ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS FIC !!!! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF !!! (the more triggering ones are listed down below) 
> 
> \- Graphic Description Of Wanting To R*pe Someone (a minor)  
> \- Non Consensual Groping Of A Minor  
> \- Non Consensual Kissing Of A Minor  
> \- Sexual Harassment Of A Minor  
> \- 11 Year Age Gap (between Eddie and an Original Male Character)  
> \- Attempted Murder  
> \- Use Of The Word 'S*icide'
> 
> the latin dialogue was google translated so don't attack me if it's wrong LOL ,,, BUT ,,, please let me know what the correct words so be and i will happily change it :-))  
> [keep in mind that there is probably NOT AN OUNCE of historical accuracy in this nor do i know anything about about gladiators, ancient roman times and Roman Deities aside from what i found on google]
> 
> translation of the title : while i breathe, my heart is yours

Blood was dripping down Richie’s body from the cut on his pec. The cut was shallow, about an inch deep but six inches long. It had been the only wound that he received in today's battle that wasn’t a bruise so he wasn’t all that worried. 

A wet cloth was being pressed against the gash, cleaning the surrounding skin and trying to stop more blood from leaking out. Silence clung in the air. Richie tried to meet Eddie’s eyes but the prince was doing everything in his power to avoid contact. 

Eddie was angry - so fucking angry. Angry that Richie got hurt. Angry that Richie was still fighting. Angry that he keeps letting this infuriating gladiator worm his way under his skin. Angry that he still cared so much. Angry because he was back again, tending to Richie’s wounds even though he had cursed countless times in the past he wouldn’t. 

_Hoc est ultimum tempus_ **_(this is the last time)_ ** _,_ Eddie tells himself. But he knows that’s a lie because as long as Richie was still going into matches, Eddie would be there to tend to the wounds that stained his skin. 

After covering up the cut, Eddie quickly gathers up the bloodied cloth and water basin and busies himself with cleaning up, turning his back to the man who was still staring intently at him. 

“ _Tu es hospes molestus_ **_(You are upset)._** ” Richie states as he takes in Eddie’s stiff posture and hasty movements.

Eddie presses his lips into a straight line, intent on ignoring the man. He submerges his hand into water, scrubbing harshly at the skin to get Richie’s dried blood off of them. He wants so badly to express his anger, to yell at Richie, but nothing pisses Richie off more than Eddie ignoring him. So he plans on doing just that. 

The sound of Richie’s feet hitting the floor was loud and intentional, a way of letting Eddie know that he was coming towards him. So he wasn’t startled when he felt a warm body pressing against his backside and long, muscular arms wrapping themselves around his waist. 

“ _Ut off mihi_ **_(Get off me)_ **.” Eddie says calmly as he scrapes the blood from underneath his fingernails. 

The grip on his waist tightens subtly. “Don’t do that.” Eddie could feel the vibrations of his words and while that would usually calm him, it does nothing but anger him more. 

“I am not doing anything.” Eddie grits, “Now get off of me, I am leaving.” 

“ _Amica mea_ **_(my love)_ **, you know I’m not letting you leave without talking about this.” 

Eddie’s shoulders tense, hands coming to grip the edge of the basin tightly. He knew where this conversation was going. He turns his body in Richie’s hold, facing the man and crosses his arms over his chest. The edge of the basin digs into his lower back uncomfortably but he ignores it.

“There is nothing to talk about, Richie.” 

Richie ignores him. Eddie isn’t surprised. “Four weeks. Four more weeks until I have enough money.” 

The taller man leans down to press their foreheads together, nudging the tip of Eddie’s nose with his. “I promise baby, four more weeks and then I am done.” He kicks Eddie’s feet apart and steps closer into Eddie’s space, their bodies molding together.

It would be nearly impossible to escape Richie’s hold. The gladiator was bigger and stronger than him, built to fight and win. There was no way that Eddie could get out and he had a feeling that Richie wasn’t going to let him leave anyway. 

He digs his nails into the flesh of his arms. “You were done as of two months ago. So why are you still fighting? Why are you still _here_?” 

Eddie was no longer angry, all the anger flushed from his body leaving him tired. They had this argument one too many times and it had always ended the same way. But that never stopped Eddie from trying to get his point through Richie’s thick skull. All he wanted for Richie was a happy life, a free life. Free from debt, free from fighting, free from _Eddie_. He wanted Richie to leave and get as far away from the kingdom as possible and start a new life. 

Thanks to Eddie, Richie _had_ been relieved from his debt and no longer needed to fight in any gladiator battles. He hasn’t been enslaved for two months now, but Richie refused to leave. He had gone right back to the king - under Eddie’s nose - and declared he wanted to continue fighting. And since he was no longer enslaved, Richie would be able to receive all the profit of the matches that he wins. 

When Eddie had found out about Richie’s plans and the fact that his own father would approve of them, he was furious to say the least. He had blatantly ignored Richie for a solid week, speaking to everyone in the room but the gladiator. He didn’t spare a glance at the man if they were in the same area or answered if Richie addressed him and he had even locked his bedroom door at night so that the man couldn’t come in. 

The anger he held against his father was different, Eddie couldn’t _ignore_ the king. But that didn’t stop him from repeatedly expressing how mad he was at him for allowing Richie to be stupid and continuing to fight when he no longer needed to. 

King Frank understood his son’s fear, he had known very well about what went on between Eddie and the kingdom’s best gladiator even if Eddie never officially talked to him about it. He knew the risks of Richie going into a fight. But he also knew Richie’s intentions when he had asked to continue battling. The only reason King Frank agreed was because the fighter was adamant on earning the money himself so that he could ask for Eddie’s hand in marriage. 

“ _Ego maneat quia vos, Eddie_ **_(I stay for you, Eddie)_**.” Richie says, so sure. And Eddie knew he couldn’t stand a chance. 

Eddie meets Richie’s eyes. “I don’t want you to stay.” 

Richie leans back, straightening up to his normal height, towering over Eddie. His eyes search Eddie’s face. “Who are you trying to convince, baby?” Richie’s tone was laced with amusement. He shifts one of his thighs, spreading Eddie’s legs out more and causing the prince to let out a surprised squeak. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing? That I don’t know _you?_ ” 

A hand comes to grip at Eddie’s jaw and squeezes. Eddie couldn’t help but whimper at the contact, his cock stirring underneath the material of his robes. “Stop trying to deny the fact that you want me as much as I want you.” Richie says, “ _Ego promissum (_ **_I promise)_ **, in four weeks I will no longer fight, instead I will be getting down on one knee and asking for your hand in marriage.” 

Eddie gasps, his hands coming up to latch onto Richie’s wrist, prying his fingers from his face. This wasn’t the first time Richie had declared his intentions of marrying Eddie and he knew it wasn’t going to be the last and Eddie was running out of ways to discourage the gladiator. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry Richie because he most definitely does but he couldn’t. He knows that he cannot. Not when Richie chose to risk his life three times a week in order to earn money. Not when there was always the chance that Richie could potentially get killed in the matches. Not when Richie could _leave_ and have a chance to get away from this life. Not when Eddie knew he couldn’t accept Richie’s proposal. 

The prince presses his hands against the gladiator’s bare chest, feeling the heavy beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his breathing. “ _Quare facite vos semper dicens quod_ **_(_ ** **Why must you always say that)** _?_ ” Eddie squeezes his eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears that were welling up from escaping. It’s not fair that Richie keeps chipping away pieces of Eddie’s barriers like this. It wasn’t fair how much Eddie loved Richie. 

“ _Est veritas_ **_(Because it is the truth)_**.” Richie replies simply. “All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. To fight with you, to laugh with you, to protect you from any harm. I want to wake up to your face each morning and fall asleep with you in my arms each night. I want to make you happy and fuck you as often as you wish, kiss you without fear of getting caught. I want to be by your side until my last breath.” 

Eddie let out a watery laugh. A stray tear drips down his cheek and Richie is quick to reach out and wipe it away. He can never stand a chance whenever Richie says shit like that, to poke at his emotions like that. 

“All I want is for you to be happy, Richie.” He mumbles. His point was weak and he knew it.

Richie sighs. “My happiness is you. I will never be happy if you are not in my life.” 

Eddie’s heart crumbles. It wasn’t good for Eddie to be in Richie's life but it seems as if the man doesn’t realize that. “Don’t, Richie…”

The gladiator lifts Eddie’s face up, his face stern yet soft. “You have known my intentions for months. You have tried to get me to leave for months but I am still here.” His eyebrows furrowed, “You say that you want me to be happy but yet you are denying me my chance. You _, being with you,_ is the only thing that is capable of making me happy, Eds.” 

“But that is the whole problem!” Eddie cries, “How do you know all of that if you have never been outside the castle’s walls? I have provided you freedom to leave and live as a free man, to experience things you never got to, to find a lover that makes you genuinely happy.” 

Richie presses his body closer. Eddie could feel the gladiator’s muscles tense through the material of his robes and his breath hitches.

“How many times do I have to say it for you to understand that you are the one for me? That you are the only person that I will ever love. I don’t need to go out and experience life to know that no matter where I am, no matter who I meet, no matter how much you want to reject me, my heart will always belong to you.” 

Eddie doesn’t know what else can he say that he hasn’t said a thousand times before. He knows there was no point in fighting Richie about this anymore, there was nothing that would change Richie’s mind. Instead, he trails his hands up to cup the back of the gladiator’s neck and stares into the dark blue eyes he had fallen for two years prior. 

He was so in love with this man, there was no denying the fact. But he couldn’t do this anymore, he couldn’t continue meeting with him and kissing him and letting Richie slip into his bed when Eddie knew he couldn’t say yes to Richie’s proposal. He couldn’t take Richie’s chance of a life outside the castle walls and demolish it by saying yes. The prince knew what he had to do.

_But not now_. Not when there was still time for them. And Eddie wanted to spend every last moment holding Richie before he sets the man free forever. Eddie rakes his fingers through the hairs on the nape of Richie’s neck and pushes his face down to connect their lips. 

And although Eddie initiated the kiss, Richie quickly takes over and steers it. Their mouths moved together seamlessly and there was no questioning how well they went together. Richie presses his body harder against Eddie’s, holding him still as he licks into his mouth, sucking Eddie’s bottom lip between his. 

Eddie whimpers. They have kissed a thousand times but he could never get used to how sinful Richie’s mouth was, each time was better and hungrier than the last and it always leaves Eddie desperate for more. 

The prince tangles his fingers into Richie’s long curls and tugs harshly. He leans back from the kiss, expecting Richie to chase after him and capture their lips together once more. But Richie doesn’t do that, instead, he pulls back to look Eddie in the eyes. There was a look on his face, a mix of hopefulness and heartbreak, and Eddie felt his stomach lurch. 

Eddie knew that Richie had thrown the ball into his court. That whatever he said in that moment, Richie would oblige. He should do the right thing and tell Richie to let him go and leave. And he had intended to, but as he continued to look at Richie, he couldn’t. _Sometimes it would be so much easier if Eddie didn’t love him this much._

He runs the pad of his thumb across Richie’s cheekbone and leans in for a softer, sweeter kiss than before. It was apparent how aroused they both were, Richie’s hard cock had been poking at Eddie’s hip for a few minutes and Eddie was desperately aching for Richie to be inside him. Eddie arched his back slightly, clenching his thighs around one of Richie’s. 

“ _Accipere mihi usque ad lectulo, gladiator_ **_(Take me to bed, gladiator)._ **” Eddie mumbles against his lips, “Please, I want you.” 

And whatever Eddie wants, he gets.

….

Eddie doesn’t remember what his sex life was like before Richie. He had a feeling it wasn’t all that satisfying since he never even thought about sleeping with another man after he had let Richie fuck him for the first time. He thinks that Richie had ruined him for anyone else and maybe that was the gladiator’s plan all along, to make Eddie crave no one else but him. And if that was his intention, he succeeded. 

They’ve had sex with each other more times than Eddie could count and each time seems to get better than the last. Sometimes Eddie thinks that if he wasn’t in love with Richie, he wouldn’t crave the sex as much as he does. But he knew that no matter what his feelings towards the man were, Richie would still be the only person he wanted between his sheets.

Eddie thinks about Richie a lot. He is constantly thinking about the man’s broad shoulders and muscular arms and large hands. He thinks about his lean body and the dark hair that spreads across the expanse of his chest and the one that trails down past the band of his pants. He thinks about how tall Richie is and much Eddie has to strain his neck in order to look up at him. He thinks about how easily it is for Richie to manhandle him into any position he desires and hold him there with no effort. 

Eddie craves the feeling of Richie’s mouth on his and the heavy weight of their bodies pressed against each other. He craves the burn and stretch of his hole when Richie fucks into him, hard and fast. He craves the taste of Richie on his tongue and the euphoric feeling he experiences when Richie clamps his teeth into Eddie’s skin, marking him. Eddie just craves everything about Richie in general. 

So it wasn’t all that surprising when the prince woke up early that morning with Richie on his mind and an ache between his thighs. 

The sheets of his bed feel cool against his burning body, giving him some relief as he tries to think about anything but Richie’s cock being buried inside him or his big hands on his body or his skilled tongue as he licks into him. But it’s no use, Richie plagues his mind no matter what he tries. 

It was too early in the morning for anyone to be awake yet and Eddie was adamant on dealing with his arousal without the help of the gladiator. There was already a small pitcher of oil on his bedside table and his fingers would do the job just fine. Soon he wouldn’t have Richie to help get him off anymore, so he will have to learn to deal with this himself. 

Eddie takes a breath and closes his eyes, his hand sliding down his bare body and wrapped around his aching cock. He had begun to sleep nude right after he discovered how animalistic Richie was in bed. After a handful of his sleeping gowns were ripped or destroyed, he ditched wearing any garments to be altogether. 

His first stroke was gentle, experimental, as if he was unsure of how to touch himself. In his defense, it has been a while since he touched himself like this. Richie never let Eddie touch himself, saying that Eddie’s body belonged to him so no one got to touch it except for the gladiator. 

Richie had always been possessive and sure whenever his hands were on Eddie’s body, knowing exactly what to do to get Eddie crying and begging for more. His strokes were calculated and firm and so good. 

Eddie bites back a moan as he runs the pad of his thumb over his slit, wiping away the beads of precome that continued to leak. Richie never liked it when Eddie tried to keep quiet. If Eddie did, he would bite at the prince’s skin until it drew blood, slow down the strokes of his hand until Eddie’s need to come was almost unbearable, or rub his fingers roughly over the rim of Eddie’s hole until the prince couldn't hold back his cries and sounds of pleasure anymore. 

His back arches off the sheets as he continues to stroke himself, finally finding his rhythm. Eddie's eyes roll back in pleasure and he lets out quiet whimpers, careful not to get too loud. His hole began to clench needily, aching for something to push past the tight ring of muscle. Eddie blindly reaches over to his side table and dips three of his fingers into the pitcher of oil. He knew that his three digits wouldn’t be as satisfying as Richie’s fingers or cock but it would have to do. He slips his fingers behind him, spreading his thighs widely, and pushing against his hole.

With the help of the oil and the fact that Eddie’s fingers were small, it wasn’t hard to ease his first finger past the ring of muscle. He tries hard not to think about Richie and how much better this would feel if it were his long, thick fingers instead of Eddie’s. He shakes the thoughts from his mind and pushes another finger in with the first one. He can feel the stretch but it wasn’t the same. Eddie spreads his fingers apart and begins to fuck himself, hard and fast, the total opposite of how Richie would’ve fingered him. 

His thighs shake violently and his grip on his cock falters when the tips of his fingers press against that spot inside of him. A loud moan escapes him then and he does nothing to prevent from happening. He quickly slips in the third finger and sloppily thrusts them, trying to find that spot again. 

Tiny beads of sweat begin to form on his skin, the pleasure finally taking over and he suddenly felt like he was floating. A familiar tight coil erupts in his belly, signaling him that he was close. Eddie takes his hand off this cock and flips over on his stomach, pressing his cheek firmly against his pillow. He scissors his fingers and fucks himself harder as he humps the bed. 

Eddie stares at his closed bedroom door with half-lidded eyes imagining what would happen if Richie were to walk in and witness Eddie desperately trying to relieve himself. Soft moans spill from his lips and tears leak from his eyes at the thought.

There was something about imagining Richie standing there, watching Eddie hungrily. The man would take his time coming over, wanting to soak in the sight of his lover’s slick fingers sloppily fucking himself without permission. His eyes would follow every roll of Eddie’s hips as he humps the bed underneath him. But eventually he would stalk over to the bed, slowly and steadily. 

Eddie’s fingers would soon be tugged out and replaced with Richie’s. The gladiator’s fingers would be dry, free from any oil, because Eddie had disobeyed him and touched what belonged to him. The pain and stretch would have Eddie crying and torn between trying to get away or fuck himself back onto Richie’s digits. 

Richie’s other hand would land a hard smack onto Eddie’s ass cheek making the prince cry out loudly at how good it stung. He would finger-fuck Eddie painfully slow, drawing every moan and whimper and cry from Eddie’s mouth until the younger man is incoherently begging for the gladiator’s cock. 

But Richie wouldn’t immediately give in, no, he would tease Eddie, touching his leaking cock and purposefully avoiding Eddie’s prostate until Eddie can’t take it anymore. That is when he would take his hands away, denying Eddie of his orgasm and leaving him empty and frustrated. He would take his sweet time shedding the garments on his body before lining himself up behind Eddie and rubbing the thick head of his hard cock against Eddie’s stretched opening. 

He would make Eddie beg for it, maybe even ask him why he deserves Richie’s cock in the first place. And Eddie would be babbling his pleas, his words jumbled and lacking sense, but Richie understands his baby. He would eventually slick himself up with the oil and slowly press his aching member into Eddie’s sensitive hole until he bottomed out. He would give Eddie a minute to get use to the penetration before he begins to fuck into Eddie.

Eddie comes with a muffled cry, ropes of come squirting on his chest and the sheets under him. His hole is widely stretched and raw and he winces as he eases his fingers out. The pillow underneath his head is damp with sweat and his orgasm hit him so hard that he didn’t care at the fact that he was laying in a puddle of his own come.

His mind wanders back to Richie, thinking of what he does after Eddie has come. He would gently pull out and flip Eddie onto his back, spreading his thighs out again and pushing back into Eddie’s heat. The prince would be high off of his orgasm, pliant and happy underneath him. Richie would fuck Eddie softly and slowly - sometimes even drawing another orgasm out of him - until he came, shooting his load into Eddie’s body. 

As he came down from his post-orgasm bliss, Eddie found that he was frustrated with himself. Frustrated that the only reason he had come was because he was thinking about Richie the whole time he touched himself. That wasn’t supposed to happen anymore, his mind wasn’t supposed to keep drifting back to the gladiator. 

How was he supposed to go through with his plan when the only thing he wanted to do was be with him?

….

Eddie could feel the heat of Richie’s stare on his body as he was chatting with Lady Beverly. He could feel the gladiator's eyes on him since the beginning of the night. The prince knew what he was doing when he had gotten dressed for the gala hours prior. He knew about the attention that he would be receiving and he also knew that Richie’s possessive eyes would be on him at all times. 

How could Richie possibly tear his eyes away from the sight that was his lover when he looked _tam pulcher_ **_(so beautiful)_ ** _?_

The prince looked heavenly in his attire. The blush coloured tunic rode high, a good five inches shorter than the usual ones that he wears, showing off an expanse of the creamy skin of his thighs. The silky material of the tunic hugged his body perfectly and showed off his curvy figure. His waist was cinched with a golden leaf patterned belt and his biceps were wrapped with bracelets in the same pattern. In his hair laid a golden crown decorated with intricate olive leaves and flowers. 

Today was the annual Roman Gala. This celebration was thrown to give thanks and honour to their Roman Gods and Goddesses. It is hosted by a different kingdom each year and this year just so happened to be King Frank’s turn. 

During the annual gala, it was tradition for royals to be dressed in garments that showed tribute to their deity. At birth, every baby was given a God or Goddess, said to be chosen by the Gods themselves. A few hours after the baby is born, an object that represents the deities would appear somewhere near the baby which shows which deity had chosen them.

Eddie’s deity was _Venus,_ the Goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. While Richie’s was _Mars,_ the God of war and guardian of agriculture. 

Needless to say, this gala was something that Eddie had looked forward to. He enjoyed being able to represent _Venus_ and he liked the attention he received as he makes his rounds around the room. 

Eddie was trying his hardest to avoid Richie since the start of the gala but the man seemed to always be within arms reach. Despite Eddie trying to put distance between the two, he was secretly glad that Richie was keeping an eye on him. It made him feel safer to know that the gladiator was there.

The gladiators that were at the gala were only the best of the best from each kingdom so Eddie had known from the get-go Richie was going to be in attendance. It was easy to spot the gladiators. They were all dressed similarly in their _Lorica Segmentata_ **_(armour)_ **, the only difference was the color of their capes, which showed what kingdom they belonged to, and the symbols on their chest plates. 

Before their very first battle, each gladiator would be placed into one of the four principal classes, the _Samnites_ , the _Thraex_ , the _Myrmillo_ , or the _Retiarius_ . They would be given their armour with the symbol of what class they were in engraved into the chest plate. The _Samnites_ had the symbol of a _gladius_ **_(sword)_ ** . The _Thraex_ had the symbol of a _sica_ **_(dagger)_ ** _._ The _Myrmillo_ had the symbol of a fish (despite it not being a weapon). And the _Retiarius_ had a _fuscina_ **_(trident)_ **. 

Eddie had been stealing glances at the man all night, aroused at the sight of his muscular arms and toned legs and the way his armour molded to his body. Richie was clad in a dark blue cape and armour with the _Samnites_ symbol carved on the chest plate. The gladiator looked powerful and confident and all Eddie wanted to do was push him against the nearest wall and capture the man’s lips between his. He wanted Richie to have his way with him whilst wearing his armour. _Again._ Eddie blushed at the thought of _that_ night. 

Eddie had just finished talking to Prince Stanley when Richie finally approached him. The gladiator took Eddie’s hand in his and snuck him out the ballroom, into a dimly lit hallway. 

“What are you doing Richie?!” Eddie exclaims, ripping his hand from Richie’s grasp. He attempts to walk around him but the man is quick to maneuver them to where Eddie was pressed against the wall and Richie was caging him in. “Let me go!” 

“Why are you running away from me?” Richie’s voice was calm but it had a slight edge to it. He was irritated. 

Eddie glares up at him. “ _Qualis es largiloquus fere_ **_(What are you talking about)_ **?”

“ _Rosa mea_ **_(my rose)_ **, we both know you know what I am talking about so why don’t we skip this part and go straight into you telling me the reason. Hm?” Richie growls, his eyes narrowing as he stares at Eddie.

The smaller man presses his hands against Richie’s armoured chest in an attempt to push him off but he barely budged. A surge of anger mixed with arousal coursed through Eddie’s veins. 

“I was not running away from you.” Eddie says. He tries to appear more confident, maybe that way Richie won’t be able to tell that he was lying straight through his teeth. 

Richie reaches down and grips the material of Eddie’s tunic. “ _Non mentiri me, flos_ **_(do not lie to me, flower)._** ” Richie says sharply.

“Stop it Richie. Let me go right now.” Eddie demands but his voice was soft and unconvincing even in his own ears. He didn’t want Richie to let him go. Not now, not ever. But he couldn’t think like that anymore. Especially not when… 

“Eddie when are you going to stop fighting us?” Richie asks, exasperated, and Eddie takes a sharp inhale at the sudden question. “When are you going to accept we are meant to be together.” 

“I know that you love me, I can see it by the way you look at me. I can hear it in every word you speak to me. I can feel it every time we touch. You love me as much as I love you. You want me as much as I want you, _so quare facite vos servo fugiens ex de haec_ **_(so why do you keep running away from this)_** _?_ ” 

Eddie tears his eyes away, breaking the intense eye contact between them. Richie was right, of course he was right. Eddie loved this gladiator with everything that he is. 

The first time Eddie laid eyes on him, Richie was fighting in his very first battle. The gladiator was skinny and tall and awkward. He barely filled out the armour and his sword seemed to weigh more than he did. Eddie had voiced to his father that Richie was surely going to lose, his opponent was way bigger than him width wise (Richie had a couple of inches on him in height) and had two years of fighting experience on him. But he was greatly mistaken because as soon as the horn was blown, the awkward gladiator transformed into something entirely different. 

He was quick on his feet, dodging the other gladiator with ease. He was skilled with his sword, twirling it in his hand and swinging it at the other man as if it was second nature. Eddie watched with wonder and awe, his eyes never once faltering away from the newest gladiator, not even after he won the battle and was escorted back inside the gate. 

Eddie had properly met the new gladiator that same night. When the prince walked into the dining room he saw that the tall fighter was alone, propped up against the wall with a roll of bread in his hand. He didn’t seem to want to be with the other victorious fighters as they ate their celebratory meal. 

The man’s thick curly hair was tied back by a piece of fabric, showing off his sculpted cheekbones and squared chin. He had changed out of his armour and into a dark blue tunic. The tunic showed off the man’s broad shoulders, lean torso, muscular biceps, and toned legs. The gladiator was handsome, most definitely the most handsome man that Eddie had ever seen. 

Eddie continued to subtly check the fighter out as he approached. 

“You should eat more than just bread, gladiator.” Eddie had spoken, making eye contact with the most gorgeous blue eyes that he had ever seen. A blush had ridden high on his cheeks as he smiled and thrusted a plate piled up with some potatoes, a few slices of pork, and another roll of bread in front of him. 

The fighter looked between the prince and the plate of food, fish-mouthing in surprise. The tips of his ears began to burn as he shyly took the plate of food from Eddie’s hands. “ _G-gratias tibi, celsitudinem tuam_ **_(thank you, your highness)_**.”

Eddie giggled loudly and shook his head in amusement. “Oh! _Me voca quaeso_ **_(please call me)_** Eddie.” 

The man smiled softly down at the prince, nodding. “I’m Richie.”

And here’s the thing, ever since he was little Eddie never believed in soulmates, he had always thought it was total horse shit. Two people who were once connected suddenly being pulled apart and having to spend their lives finding each other? What a funny thing to believe. But the moment that their eyes met, Eddie had felt a sudden pull in his chest and he just _knew._ Eddie knew that he and this gladiator were meant to find each other. That their souls had finally found their way back together. _Venus has finally found her way back to Mars._

He had fallen in love with Richie fast and hard. It was difficult not to as the time pressed on. Their relationship had blossomed from two unlikely friends into an unlabeled relationship. They kissed in the shadows of dark hallways. They fucked late at night, tangled between Eddie’s sheets. They loved each other in secret. They had fallen in love behind the backs of everyone.

From the very first night that they had spent together - the night Eddie let Richie take all of him - Eddie promised himself that he would do everything in his power to set Richie free. He had stubbornly fought tooth and nail against the royal court and his father’s officers, pleading for them to release Richie from his debt, to trash Richie’s slavery papers and let him go. And after a few months, he had succeeded. 

But what he soon realised was that the only thing that chained Richie from a free life was his love for Eddie. Their relationship was the anchor that was dragging Richie down. And in order for Eddie to really succeed and give him the chance of actually living, he must break Richie’s heart. He must take the love that Richie holds for him and smash it until nothing remains. So he did.

Richie gently cradles Eddie’s face between his hands, running his calloused thumbs across his cheeks. He leans down and captures Eddie’s lips between his, tasting the salty tears of his lover on his tongue. “ _Te amo_ **_(I love you)_ **.” Richie’s voice was gentle and Eddie’s heart was crumbling in his chest. “You can run away from me and I will still love you. You can do everything in your power to try and pretend that you do not have feelings for me and I will still love you because there is nothing you can do or say that can ever make me stop loving you.” 

Eddie shook his head, his mouth suddenly dry and bitter. His eyes flutter shut. 

“ _Ego versantur usque aliquis alius_ **_(I am engaged to someone else)_**.”

….

Eddie couldn’t sleep. He hasn’t been able to sleep since the night of the gala, the night when he told Richie that he was to be marrying someone else.

How could he when the look on Richie’s face, the look of heartbreak and devastation and defeat, haunts Eddie every time he closes his eyes. When the sound of Richie’s voice, thick with tears, asking Eddie if he was being serious, rings loudly in his ears. When he can still feel Richie’s tears on his hands. When his heart was still breaking from watching Richie walk away. 

Eddie had done it. He had broken Richie’s heart. He destroyed the very last thing that was holding Richie back. It was the right thing to do, he knows it was, so why does he feel like he just made the biggest mistake of his life? 

….

Eddie studies the man in front of him. 

A big silver crown was perched on top of a head of wavy light brown hair. Piercing green eyes stared back at him, admiring the young prince. Stubble ran across the lower half of the man’s face framing his full lips and sharp jawline. A deep red toga was pinned over one of his shoulders and fell diagonally across his muscular chest, the pins engraved with a Blacksmith’s hammer, the symbol of the God, _Vulcan_. A cream coloured tunic was worn underneath the toga and the two pieces were tied to the man's buff body by a gold rope.

King Theon of Ventra was handsome, there was no way of denying it. He looked powerful and in charge even as he was kneeling before Eddie and King Frank. 

“ _Vester maiestas_ **_(Your majesty)_**.” King Theon bowed to Eddie’s father before turning towards Eddie, “ _Mea sponsa_ **_(My bride)_**.” 

Eddie holds back a grimace and forces a smile onto his lips. 

“As you know, I have been seeking for Prince Edward’s hand in marriage for many years.” Theon speaks confidently, “And as of a week ago, he has finally accepted my proposal.” 

King Frank stared emotionlessly down at King Theon and the man clears his throat nervously before continuing. 

“I would like your permission, King Frank, to move up the _Nuptiae_ **_(wedding)_ ** to two weeks from today.” 

Eddie’s eyes widened. _Two weeks?! He was to be married in two weeks?!_ He tried not to let the horror show on his face as he turned his head towards his father. King Frank was already looking at him with a disapproving expression splayed across his features. 

“It is not my decision to make, King Theon, it is my son’s.” Frank announced, turning back to Theon, “I have said my stance on this _proelio_ **_(engagement)_ ** to Eddie and it is now his choice to make.” 

Eddie knew how against this marriage (and against King Theon) his father was, which he very clearly expressed when Eddie had broken the news to him days prior.

_“Why Eddie?” King Frank asked, exasperated. “Why did you accept that horrid, arrogant man’s proposal?”_

_Eddie couldn’t meet his father’s eyes. He knew that this was most likely a terrible idea seeing how violated King Theon had made him feel over the years but it was the only thing that he could think to do._

For the past four years, Theon made numerous advances towards Eddie, proposing to the young prince to become his bride. Eddie had been a bit uncomfortable to be the object of the man’s affection seeing how far apart in age they were. King Theon was sought after by many and not once has the king expressed any interest towards marrying until he had set eyes on Eddie. 

They had first met at the gala the year that the Kingdom of Ventra was hosting. Eddie had been 16 at the time while the bachelor king was 27. The moment Prince Edward and King Frank stepped out from their chariot, Theon’s attention never wavered from the young boy. 

The prince was clothed in a long red tunic with delicate golden roses circling around the length of his forearms and a thin rope looped around his waist. Prince Edward was the most beautiful thing that Theon has ever laid his eyes on. From his soft, feminine features and plump pink lips to his small yet curvy frame; he was a sight. 

He was immediately taken by the boy. Theon had spent most of the night with Eddie on his arm, dancing with him and showing him around his castle, staring suggestively as the young prince looked at everything with such infatuation. The king sent many compliments Eddie’s way reveling in the sight of the prince’s bright red cheeks and bashful smiles. 

It was when the night had come to an end that Theon had pulled Eddie into an empty room and surprised the prince with a heated kiss onto his pretty lips. 

“Fuck, v _olebam tu pernox_ **_(I wanted you all night)_ ** _.”_ ****

He could tell that Eddie was inexperienced and hesitant so Theon took charge, spinning their bodies around and pressed Eddie against the wall, smirking at the gasp that escaped the young prince. He cradled Eddie’s jaw with one hand while the other he trailed down and cupped at the plump flesh of his ass, his fingers pressing up against Eddie’s hole through the material of his tunic. He licked his way into Eddie’s warm mouth, tasting the sweetness of the wine he sipped on throughout the night. Theon noticed that Eddie wasn’t kissing back but he didn’t care. He just continued to move his lips against Eddie’s.

He drank in the small whimpers that were fed into his lips and continuously fondled Eddie’s ass and rubbed his fingers roughly against Eddie’s covered hole. The king was heavily aroused at how developed the young prince’s body was. His cock was hardening up underneath his thick robes and he rolled his hips against Eddie’s hipbone so that the younger boy could feel his desire. Theon had finally pulled away when he grew annoyed at how Eddie’s small hands kept pushing hard against his chest and his petite body was writhing in his hold. 

Eddie looked on the verge of tears, his body shaking, and all the king wanted to do was strip the prince bare and ravish him. Theon wanted to witness Eddie screaming as he was split open on his cock, to fuck into his tight throat until he gagged, to fuck Eddie to the point where the only thing that younger boy could do was lay there and take it. The thought of making Eddie his, of _owning_ him, made his dick twitch wildly. _He could do it right now_ , he thinks. He could shut and lock the room door and have his way with his blushing virgin. Force his cock into the tight virgin heat and have his way with him _._ Strike his big ass until it bruises and swells, wrap a hand around his slim neck and squeeze until Eddie was begging him to let go. Fill Eddie’s hole to the brim with his come that he can’t help but get pregnant with the king’s heir. 

But instead he ran his thumb across Eddie’s cheek, ignoring how the smaller boy flinched away at the touch, and pressed one more kiss against his swollen lips before leading them back into where his guests were departing. With one more harsh squeeze of his beautiful boy’s ass, he let Eddie go with a smug promise of another day. 

After that incident, Eddie tried hard to avoid the king during the gala each year. He would be running off when Theon stalked near, pulling his friends to dance instead when the man tried to ask, sticking by his personal kingdom guards, Bill, Mike, and Ben, in order to lessen the chance of Theon swooping over and dragging him off. 

During the many times throughout the years that Theon’s kingdom would come and dine with theirs and vice versa, Eddie would make sure to sit the furthest away from the man and to never fully acknowledge him or address him directly. He would stay by his father’s side the whole dinner and made sure to never go anywhere without at least one of his three guards by his side.

When Richie had come into Eddie’s life, the gladiator had made it easier for Eddie to avoid King Theon. He would either be stitched to Richie’s side or had the gladiator at close proximity at all times. Richie made sure that Eddie felt safe and protected at all costs.

The irritation was always crystal clear on Theon’s face every time Eddie ignored him; it was getting more and more difficult to get the prince alone since he suddenly had a gladiator guard at his side each time they would see each other. But Theon knew that Eddie was _his_ and he would stop at nothing until the prince realised that.

When the fifth year rolled around, King Theon had begun to grow angry and impatient. All of his previous proposals had been declined and sent straight back to him. But despite this, he still sent the annual scroll to his beloved Edward anyway with hopes that he would finally accept. 

When the scroll had returned, Theon couldn’t begin to describe the elation that he felt when he heard that Eddie had finally, after all these years, accepted to become his bride. _The Venus to his Vulcan._ Eddie finally realised who he belonged to and Theon was going to make sure that he never forgot it after the night of their wedding. It was to be that night where Theon would finally be able to live out his fantasies from the very first night he had kissed Eddie.

_“It’s the only thing that I can do! I need to do this.” Eddie spoke, “This was the only way…”_

_“_ _Tantum modo quid Eddie_ **_(Only way for what Eddie)_** _? Only way of getting rid of Richard?”_

_Eddie’s mouth was dry but his eyes were not. “I am not trying to get rid of him.”_

_King Frank shook his head sadly. “You are doing this to push him away.” Frank met Eddie’s eyes, “Eddie, I see the way you are when you are with him, how happy you are. You love him and you want to be with him, no? So why are you standing in the way of your own happiness?”_

_Eddie could only stare as his father gets up and walks over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “If you think that marrying Theon is a good idea. Then I cannot stand in your way.” Frank speaks softly. “I know that you are smart and capable of making your own decisions so whatever you decide to do, I am going to be with you every step of the way._ _Tu es filius meus et omnis ego volo quod enim tu ut beati sint_ **_(You are my son and all I wish is for you to be happy)_** _.”_

_Eddie sniffs, “I am doing this for Richie. Every decision I have ever made was for Richie. I want him to be happy and free and live a life outside of the very kingdom that kept him as a slave.”_

_“If I stay with him, if I follow my heart and say yes to Richie, I am stripping him of the freedom he’s never gotten to experience._ _Non possum facite uti, pater_ **_(I can’t do that, father)_** _, I love Richie too much to do that.”_

_“But that is not your decision to make.” Frank pulls Eddie into a hug, “That boy looks at you like you are the sun. You are his happiness, you are his freedom, you are the very thing that he is living for. Richie had come to me many months ago, even before you freed him from his debt, and asked for my permission for him to marry you. That man loves you to no end.”_

_“Richie had already made his decision. But now you have to make yours.”_

Eddie looked from his father and back down to King Theon. The man was shocked to hear Eddie’s father’s answer but it was soon replaced with a look of confidence. As if Theon knew what Eddie’s answer was going to be. 

_Richie had already made his decision._

_Now Eddie had to make his._

The words died on his tongue when the door opened with a bang. 

Richie strided in, tall and confident yet nervous at the same time. His hair was greasy and his sunken eyes were encased by dark rings and his lips were bitten raw. Despite his disheveled state, Richie still managed to be the most gorgeous man that Eddie ever laid his eyes on. 

Eddie sat frozen in his chair as his eyes tracked Richie’s movements. He doesn’t have much time to do anything before the gladiator was standing before him, a mere few inches away from a confused King Theon.

“Richard,” Eddie could hear the fondness in his father’s tone, “ _Quid tu hic agis_ **_(What are you doing here)_ ** _?_ ” 

The gladiator kneels on the steps, bowing his head down. “I am sorry for intruding, _meus rex_ **_(my king)_ **, but there is something that I must do.” 

The kingdom’s guards that stood around the perimeter of the throne room seemed to know what was going to happen as they turned to one another and nodded subtly. They all gathered closer and kneeled on the floor in unison.

“What is going on?” King Theon demanded as he and his entourage of five guards, one handmaiden, and his best gladiator looked around the room. 

His demand was ignored.

King Frank nodded, “You are pardoned, gladiator. You may stand and state your business.”

Eddie can’t tear his eyes off of Richie. The wild beating of his heart was loud in his ears and his hands began to shake and sweat from where they were clasped together in his lap. Every thought in his head seemed to fly out of his head besides _Richie, Richie, Richie._

Eddie already knew what was to come, he had known the moment he heard the door swing open.

He takes a sharp intake when Richie finally looks up at him. The smile on his boy’s face was bright but anxious. His stance was stiff, shoulders squared and hands awkwardly hanging at his sides. 

Eddie had two options. _One_ , he could get up and make a run for it, maybe hide away from both Richie and Theon until they no longer desired him. But he knew the moment he stood up, Richie would know exactly what he was about to do and stop him. 

Or, _two,_ he could finally stop running away from this. 

He was leaning more towards the first one at this moment. 

“Do you remember what I told you that night of the gala?” Richie blurts. The silence around them is deafening but all Eddie could focus on was the gladiator before him. “Right before you had broken the news of your engagement.” 

Eddie fidgets in his seat. Of course he remembers, how could he forget a single word that Richie has ever spoken to him? “You said a lot of things that night.” Eddie decided to say. It eases some of the nervousness from his system.

“I told you that no matter what you do or say, nothing would ever make me stop loving you.” It seems as if Eddie’s words didn’t affect Richie in the slightest. Which brought back every ounce of nervousness he thought he shook away. “You tried to push me away time and time again but I still came back to you. You fight me and argue with me and push all of my buttons but I still adore you to no end. You broke my heart over and over but you were always the one to piece it all back together.” 

Eddie’s breath gets stuck in his throat. 

“That hasn’t changed and it will never change.” Richie confirms, “Because I love you. And you love me. You are mine as much as I am yours.” 

Eddie squeezes his eyes closed and clenches his hands tightly together. “Rich…” 

Richie is kneeling at his feet in a split second, shaky hands coming up to cup Eddie’s face. “We are meant for each other, baby. You are the _Venus_ to my _Mars_ , my other half, the person that I was destined to find. My freedom and my happiness. You are everything to me.” 

Eddie opens his eyes and he is speechless. Richie’s deep blue eyes are staring intently at him and Eddie could feel the warmth of Richie’s breath on his lips. 

“The first time that I saw you, you gave me a plate filled with food claiming that a gladiator couldn’t just only eat a roll of bread. Then you had smiled at me and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.” Eddie unexpectedly laughs, prompting a large grin to spread across Richie’s face. “From the very first day that we met, I knew that I wanted to be with you, that we were meant to be something more. I fell in love with you in a matter of seconds and I still find myself falling deeper in love with every passing moment.” 

“You were there for me. Even when I made you angry, or upset, or annoyed, you never left my side. And you know that I would follow you to all the corners of the world because I am completely and utterly gone for you, baby, and would do anything you ask of me.” 

Richie reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out a ring. A sob rips from Eddie but his eyes never strayed away from Richie’s face. How could he focus on anything but Richie? His heart is pumping and lurching wildly and it seems as if his hands are never going to quit sweating. 

“As of yesterday, I had finally earned enough money to get you this ring,” Richie glances over towards the sparkling band in his hand, “I know it’s not much but and I promise the one that I will slide on your finger the night of our _Nuptiae_ ** _(wedding)_** will be better.” 

Eddie lets out a teary giggle.

“I love you more than life itself. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Richie smiles nervously and raises the ring up. “Eddie Seneca Kaspbrak, the absolute love of my life, _visne me nubere_ **_(will you marry me)_ **?” 

Eddie holds his breath and stares at the simple but beautiful silver band pinched between Richie’s fingers. His mind races through every single moment that has happened in the past that led them to this very place. Every kiss, every word, every argument, every passionate moment that they spent together. Eddie knew that continuing to push Richie away and trying to keep them apart would fail, it has failed if this moment indicates anything. He knows he has to answer honestly. Not only to Richie, but to himself.

_Richie had made his decision. Now it was time for Eddie to make his._

He looks to his father who was watching the scene unfold with a proud and hopeful smile and watery eyes. Frank gives Eddie a small nod. Eddie turns back to Richie and takes a shaky breath. 

“ _Yes._ ” 

Richie’s lips were wet and salty with tears and Eddie never wanted to let him go. Their bodies were pressed close as their lips moved together. The shiny ring sat proudly on Eddie’s finger. _He finally made his decision._

….

King Theon sat at the other end of the table. His face was permanently morphed into a scowl and his hands were clenched tightly from their place on the table top. 

Eddie couldn’t help but loathe how easily it was for someone to ruin a joyous mood. 

“You cannot be engaged to two people.” Theon seethed. He was glaring at Richie with a disgusted look on his face before looking back to Eddie. “You accepted my proposal before you accepted his, therefore you must marry me.” 

“It does not matter whose proposal I had accepted first, it is ultimately my choice to whom I wish to marry.” Eddie shot back, his voice unwavering, “And my choice will always be Richie.” 

Eddie feels the gladiator squeeze his hand softly underneath the table. He gave a soft squeeze back. 

“I do not accept that, Eddie.” 

“You do not have a say whether to accept or not! It is my decision.” 

Theon opened his mouth before quickly closing it. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was thinking deeply about something before a sly grin broke through his scowl. His hands unclench themselves and he clasps them together, resting his chin on top of them. 

“How about this.” Theon smirks and Eddie doesn’t like where this is going. “Richard and I will battle for the prince’s hand in marriage. The victor will get Eddie while the loser will watch as he bleeds out. _Proelium ad mortem_ **_(Battle to the death)_ **.” 

Eddie lets out a horrified gasp, his protest on the tip of his tongue. But before he could even utter a word, Richie’s voice rings in the air. 

“Deal.” 

Both Frank’s and Eddie’s heads snapped over and stared at the gladiator in shock. _What the fuck was he doing?_

“ _Absolutely not!”_ Eddie shrieks, giving Richie’s arm a sharp tug. “ _Ille est mors voluntaria_ ** _(That is suicide)_** _! Nihil_ ** _(No)_** , I will not allow it. ” 

“I will not condone this, King Theon. I am not sending my son’s _sponsum_ ** _(fiance)_** into a fight where he could get killed.” King Frank states with an edge to his voice, “In gladiator battles, we do not take the life of our opponent.” 

Theon sighs and waves his hand dismissively. “ _Bene, bene_ **_(Okay, okay)_ ** _._ We will fight until one of us forfeits. _Multum_ **_(Deal)_ ** _?_ ” 

Before Eddie could protest again, Richie agreed. The gladiator untangles his fingers from Eddie’s and strides over to King Theon, holding a hand out. 

Theon latches onto Richie’s hand. 

“ _Licet optimum pugnator win_ **_(May the best fighter win)_ ** _.”_

….

Richie struggled to catch his breath. Sweat and dirt clung to his skin and the metallic taste of blood coated his taste buds. He was growing tired from how long the match was dragging on.

Theon was a better fighter than he had expected. The other man was strong, using his full strength into the swing of his sword or the impact of his punches. He was also fast, dodging Richie’s advances towards him multiple times. 

But what Theon lacked was smarts. He didn’t think before he attacked. He left vital parts of his body unprotected from the blade of Richie’s sword or the gladiator’s punches and kicks. 

He also got too worked up, always seeming to grow angrier and angrier every time Richie would strike him or dodge his attacks. That wasn’t a good trait to have on the battlefield. It is never a good thing to let your opponent see how they are affecting you. 

Richie reached up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his sword held in front of him, alert. 

“ _Veni ad mihi_ **_(Come at me)_ ** _!”_ The King growls and slices the air with his blade. 

Theon was panting heavily, his face was red and droplets of sweat dripped from his hair, hitting the dirt ground. There were an abundance of cuts on his bare skin that ranged from big to small, shallow to deep, short to long. Blood, sweat, and dirt caked the surface his body.

Richie takes a step forward which prompts Theon to charge towards him. He brings his leg up to strike Richie’s ribs. Richie loops his arm around his calf and swings hard at Theon’s jaw causing the man’s head to jerk to the side. Richie gives the leg he is holding a harsh yank which sends Theon flailing, his back slamming against the ground. 

“How long do you want this to go on?” Richie spins his sword in his hand as he stares down at Theon who was still laying on the ground. “ _Permitto_ **_(Give up)_ **, your majesty. You know I bested you.” 

The man is mad, Richie can tell, so it won’t be hard to ruffle him up a bit more before finally going for the final strike to end this battle. He just needed to do or say something that provokes the king just enough for him to charge at Richie again. 

Richie spared a look up towards the King’s Booth, right where Eddie, Frank, and Eddie’s guards were currently sitting and watching. Eddie’s nervous face still hasn’t moved since the start of the match, anxiously peering over the railing, his wide eyes followed along with the fight.

Richie was so in love with him. 

The moment that Eddie said yes to his proposal, Richie felt everything around him stop. Time seemed to stand still as he surged up and kissed Eddie with everything he’s got. He was in love with a prince. And the prince loved him right back. He was on top of the world.

But then Theon happened. Richie couldn’t believe that the pervert actually had the guts to challenge a highly-skilled and trained gladiator in a _gladiator_ battle. _Was this king brainless?_

When the horn was sounded, signaling the start of the fight, it didn’t exactly take long before Richie landed the first cut onto Theon’s body. Richie had figured out what type of fighter the king was in a matter of minutes and soon was able to use that knowledge to his advantage. They had clashed swords for a while, both men quite skilled with dueling and were quick with their movements. But Richie reigned as he brought Theon to his knees.

It was only when they began hand to hand combat that Richie began to slightly struggle. Theon had landed numerous punches and kicks onto Richie’s body before the gladiator could even throw a single punch at the man. But Richie recovered quickly as he slid his leg out and knocked Theon to the ground. He hopped up, climbing onto the man, and swung. 

Richie’s knuckles throbbed horribly by the time he picked up his sword again. 

He had to admit, King Theon was a tough opponent. The man had bounced back into the fight every time he was knocked down and that took strength. But Richie wasn’t going to back down from a tough battle, especially if the fight had the possibility of putting Eddie at risk. He wasn’t going to tap out, even if it means the match will drag out longer than it already has. 

He watched carefully as Theon rose back to his feet, sword clutched tightly in his left hand. Richie studied his movements. Theon’s right knee was injured from when Richie had kicked him, if his limp was any indication. Maybe if Richie struck that leg again, he could pin Theon down and force him to forfeit the fight. 

Richie puts on a smug smirk and stared at the king. “ _Incedo senex, non facio habeo tota die_ **_(Come on old man, I do not have all day)_ ** _.”_ Richie slices the air in the form of an ‘X’ with his sword before beckoning Theon with his pointer finger. “Let’s get this over with so I can go be with my fiance.” 

This seems to do it for the king because the next thing Richie knew, he was quickly twisting himself away from the sudden thrust of Theon’s sword. Richie is fast with his attack, bending down slightly and draws back his arm before jabbing the pommel of the hilt of the sword into the side of Theon’s knee. A loud _crack_ echoed through the coliseum. 

The king lets out an agonizing shout as he collapses onto the dirt. The sword had fallen from his grip and Richie swipes it off the floor. Screams erupted from the stands chanting Richie’s name but he paid them no mind as he stood over his opponent. Two tips of sharp swords were pointed down at Theon as the king clutched his injured knee to his chest. 

“ _Tibi perdidit, nunc amitto_ **_(You lost, now forfeit)_ ** _.”_ The gladiator sneered as he pressed the tip of one sword against the sweaty flesh of Theon’s neck, applying the tiniest bit of pressure. 

The king glares up at Richie. Anger and hatred clear in his darkened green eyes. “ _Ego amitto_ **_(I forfeit)_ **.” 

Richie draws back the swords and takes a step back, grinning in victory. The screaming of the crowd of kingdom guards were deafening when they realised Richie had just won the battle. 

The gladiator snaps his head up towards the King’s Booth, searching for his lover but is confused when he could only see King Frank and Eddie’s three personal guards leaning over the railing and cheering for him. 

His confusion is short lived when he hears the sound of the metal gate to his left begin to rise. He turns his body just in time to see Eddie running towards him. Wet streaks of tears coated his cheeks but a large smile was plastered on his lips. 

Richie quickly drops the swords to the ground and opens his arms in time for Eddie to come barreling into him. The gladiator hikes his prince’s thighs up and secures his arms around Eddie’s torso, supporting his weight as Richie spins them around. 

“ _Vincis! Vincis!_ **_(You won! You won!)_ ** _”_ Eddie laughs, his face buried into the crook of Richie’s neck. “I never doubted you but I was so worried!” 

Richie squeezes Eddie tight. “You have nothing to worry about, baby. You are stuck with me forever now.” 

Eddie draws his head back and cradles the back of Richie’s head. “I love you. So much.” He confesses. “I love you. I love you. I love you. _Mate anima mea_ **_(My soul mate)_ ** _._ ” 

The gladiator moves to let Eddie down and holds his jaw in one hand. “I love you, _rosa mea_ **_(my rose)_ **.” He leans down to capture Eddie’s lips on his but before he could connect them, a sharp pain shoots through his body. 

Eddie lets out a horrified scream. 

Richie looks down, confused at the sight of the bloody tip of a blade ripping through the fabric of his garment. He doesn’t have time to think about it before it disappears and another wave of pain pumps through his system. 

_What the fuck?_

Darkness begins to dance around the edge of his vision and he feels his knees buckle from underneath him. 

His hands are wet now, sticky with his own blood. Muffled shouts echoed in his ears but they sounded so far away. 

Small hands are grabbing at his face. “ _Respice ad me_ **_(Look at me)_ ** _!_ Richie, _respice ad me!”_

Richie could only blink slowly as the darkness gathered closer. He feels warm. 

_Eddie._ Was that Eddie? 

His body is being pulled down by an imaginary weight. _Thump._ His vision bounces as his head slams on the ground. 

“ _Aperi oculos tuos_ ** _(Open your eyes)_** _.”_ The panicked, familiar voice of his lover floats into his ears. Warm arms cradled his upper body, soft fingers caressing his cheeks. “ _Obsecro,_ _amica mea._ _Aperi oculos tuos_ ** _(Please my love, open your eyes)_** _.”_

His eyes flutter open before they suddenly roll back. Everything was fuzzy and dark.. He feels weightless now. As if his body was floating on top of water. 

_“Non me derelinquas_ **_(Don’t leave me)_ ** _.”_

_“Reversus est ad me_ **_(Come back to me)_ ** _.”_

_“I love you.”_

_“I love you.”_

_“Resipisco sursum, Richie_ **_(Wake up, Richie)_ ** _.”_

_“I am sorry. I love you. I love you. Richie. Please do not go. I am sorry.”_

Richie feels warm droplets pelt against his skin. Eddie loves him. He drifts away.

….

He was in a bed. 

The warm summer air fanned his body from the open window.

Richie forces his heavy eyes open and a dull ache rushes to his head. He was struck by the brightness of the moon's light causing him to turn his head with a hiss. 

The bed underneath him was soft and familiar. It takes a minute before he is able to look around without triggering the pounding of his head and the prickling pain in his eyes. He was in Eddie’s bedroom. 

_What happened? Where is Eddie? Why does my si- Oh._

Everything comes back to him. The proposal. Eddie saying yes. King Theon challenging him. The fight. Theon forfeiting. Eddie telling him that he loves him. Him getting stabbed by Theon. 

_Oh fuck._

_How long has he been out?! Where was Theon? That little pervert, I swear when I get my hands on him._

Richie lets out a low groan. He needs to find Eddie. He needs to hold him and see him and kiss him. But he can’t do that if he’s laying in bed. 

Richie wiggles his toes, huffing in relief that he could actually move them, before slowly sliding his legs over the side of the bed. His body is protesting, screaming at him to stay in bed but the need to find Eddie outweighs his pain. He grits his teeth and inches his body down the bed until his bare feet touch the floor before carefully pushing himself up into a sitting position. 

Bursts of pain shot up his side, making him halt and groan. _Come on Richie._

He braces his hands on the edge of the bed before putting all of his weight onto his arms and lifting his body up. He then shifts his weight to the uninjured side of his body before shakily getting to his feet sideways. 

Richie felt himself beginning to sweat just from getting himself up. He stands still for a minute, breathing in and out until the pain begins to dull down. He takes a hesitant step, sighing in relief when he feels nothing but a dull throbbing. Despite his hurry to get out of this room and find his fiance, he needs to be fastidious with the pace of his movements. 

It takes another minute before he reaches the door and by that point, sweat has begun to gather above his lip. He wipes it off with the back of his hand and reaches for the handle. 

The cold air of the hallway hits his bare upper body making him wince, his hand shooting out to grip the doorway. He takes five short breaths and begins to steadily shuffle forward. The hallway was illuminated with the warm glow of lit lanterns casting flickering shadows throughout the space. 

He turned to the left - walking towards the flight of stairs that would bring him down into the main room of the castle. The thought of waddling down the stairs makes him want to pass out but the promise that he would be able to find Eddie somewhere in this castle makes it worth all the pain. 

_I swear to Jupiter if I ever see that Theon fucker again I will stab him right in the throat. I couldn’t care less if he is a king or not._

He was so focused on making his way down the hallway that he didn’t hear the footsteps rounding around the other hallway.

The loud clatter of something hitting the floor makes Richie twist around suddenly. _Big fat fucking mistake._ The pain was unbearable and he stumbled to the right, his body colliding against the wall, eyes closed and huffing loudly. 

“Richie?!” A voice shrieks before the sound of feet padders make their way towards the pained gladiator. “When did you wake up? Why in _Jupiter’s_ name are you out of bed? Are you okay? _Stultus es_ **_(Are you stupid)_** _?!”_

_Ah, nothing like being called stupid by the love of your life. Fuck I missed him._

Small hands grip gently at Richie’s arm and pulls his body off the wall to lean against him instead. Eddie situates Richie’s arm around their shoulders. One of their hands were clenched tightly around Richie’s wrist while the other arm was wrapped around his waist, careful not to touch the bandaged wound. 

“Eds…” Richie sighs happily as they begin to slowly make their way back to Eddie’s room. “Eddie, _amica mea_ **_(my love)_ ** _.”_

“Shh, love. We can talk when you’re back in bed, _bene_ **_(okay)_ **?” Eddie places a soft kiss on Richie’s wrist. Richie feels himself melt. 

After Eddie had scolded him and checked his wound, cleaning it and applying a new wrap around it, Richie was back underneath the blankets with Eddie tucked into his uninjured side. Richie held Eddie close, afraid that he would slip away at any moment. 

“I thought I lost you.” Eddie mumbles, moving his head so that he could look up at his fiance. They were going to get _Married!_ “I was so scared. I can’t lose you, Richie. I don’t know what I would do if I did.” 

Eddie’s voice wavered and tears glossed over his eyes. Richie pulls Eddie impossibly closer to his body. 

“ _Pulchra puer meus_ **_(My beautiful boy)_ ** _._ You don’t need to worry anymore, _bene_ **_(okay)_ ** _?”_ Richie soothes as he leans down and places sweet kisses against the crown of Eddie’s head. “I am not going anywhere. _Tibi promitto (_ **_I promise)_ ** _._ ” 

“I am sorry.” Eddie cries, reaching up to touch Richie’s face. “I am sorry it took me so long to tell you that I love you.” 

“ _Amabilia_ **_(lovely)_ ** _,_ you have nothing to be sorry about.” Richie speaks softly, “We have the rest of our lives for I love you’s.” 

….

The distant sounds of water crashing upon the rocks coaxes Richie from his slumber. He sucks in a deep breath through his nose, the sweet smell of honey invading his senses. Richie cracks one eye open and groans quietly when the rays of the morning sun flood the room through the balcony door. 

He opens the other eye, blinking a few times to focus his vision. His biceps and thighs were deliciously sore, bringing him back to the night before and he can’t help but smile widely as he takes in Eddie’s sleeping figure for the first time today. 

The expanse of his soft, golden skin is glowing underneath the glow of the morning light and Richie wanted nothing more but to taste every inch of his body again. Deep purple bruises blotted down his neck and across his shoulders and Richie bites his lip at the sight.

Their bodies were molded together, Eddie’s back pressed tightly against Richie’s front, with nothing between them. The gladiator shifts slightly, careful not to disturb his sleeping _husband_. He flips onto his back and scratches his nails down his bare torso. There were multiple marks sucked onto his flesh and the feeling he gets when he lightly presses against the tender mark has his cock stirring against his thigh. 

The stirring of the sheets shifts his attention. Eddie’s sleeping body had flipped onto his stomach, one delicate leg dragging up towards his chest and bending at the knee. Richie’s vision is flooded with the sight of Eddie’s plump ass. There were hand-shaped bruises staining both of his sun-kissed arse cheeks and all Richie wanted to do was touch. So he does. 

A small whimper escapes Eddie as Richie grabs a handful of the jiggly flesh and gives it a gentle squeeze. Richie smirks when he sees the subtle arch of Eddie’s back, the man pushing his ass back into Richie’s grip. 

He felt his stomach flip wildly when he saw the golden ring that adorned his finger, knowing that Eddie had a similar one on his finger along with the engagement ring that Richie had proposed to him with months prior. _They were married. They had actually gotten married. Richie was fucking married to the love of his life._ Butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the realisation. 

The gladiator props himself up onto his side and traces along the outline of the marked skin of Eddie’s arse. The prince releases tiny mewls as he cuddles himself deeper into his pillow, goosebumps raising to the surface of his body. Richie knew that the younger man was awake judging by the change in his breathing and the way his hands fisted against the sheets.

“ _Bonum mane, dulcis pueri_ **_(Good morning, sweet boy)_**.” Richie speaks as he begins to trail his lips down the expanse of Eddie’s back, starting at the nape of his neck. He stops for a moment when he reaches the prominent dimples that sat just above the curve of Eddie’s ass and gives both of them a wet kiss, flattening his tongue along the indent. 

Richie nuzzles his nose against one of Eddie’s ass cheeks before giving the supple flesh a teasing bite and lapping his tongue over the bite. He does the same thing to the other cheek before he sits himself up onto his calves. 

Richie takes Eddie’s cheeks into his hands, gently kneading them before spreading them apart so that his puckered pink hole was exposed to the morning air. The man held back a groan when he saw that Eddie was still slightly open from the night before, his rim glistening with oil and wet with Richie’s come.

“Richie,” Eddie’s voice is sleep-filled and muffled by his pillow, “ _Volebam ut somnum in_ **_(I wanted to sleep in)_ **.” 

The older man smirks as he runs the pad of his thumb across the fluttering hole, pressing in, making Eddie’s toes curl. “You can, baby.” 

Eddie moans and presses back against his thumb, “Can’t if you keep touching me.” He whines as he shifts his head to look back at the man touching him. “M’sore.” 

Richie pauses and draws his thumb out, rubbing the wetness around Eddie’s rim. “Shit, did I hurt you, baby?” He lets go of Eddie’s ass and goes to touch his hips instead.

Eddie is quick to sit up, turning himself around and taking hold of Richie’s wrist. “No, no! It’s a good type of soreness. I promise.” His big eyes are wide and his pupils are blown. A bright flush is high on his cheeks and his lips are still bitten-raw from last night. Eddie looked ethereal. 

Richie smirks before pouncing on Eddie, pushing him back onto the bed. The melodic sounds of his husband’s giggles fill his ears and he wants to hear that laugh for the rest of his life. And he tells Eddie that much as he settles in between the spread of Eddie’s thighs, their hardening cocks rubbing against each other. 

Eddie gasps at the sensation, hands coming up to dig into Richie’s biceps. “Richie!” 

Richie swoops in and presses his lips against Eddie’s hungrily. He rolls his hips down and swallows the moans Eddie spills into his mouth. They were both hard now and Richie itched to be back inside Eddie’s warm heat. To feel Eddie clench deliciously around his cock. To watch his husband come. 

Richie sits back and rakes his eyes over Eddie’s flushed and marked body, drinking in every single mark that litters across his skin, licking his lips at the sight of Eddie’s small cock dribbling precome onto the skin underneath his belly button. 

“Fuck, baby. You are stunning.” Richie rasped, running his hands down Eddie’s body, making the smaller man tremble underneath his touch. “Absolutely gorgeous.” Richie takes Eddie’s cock between his fingers, spreading the slickness down its length. 

Eddie’s blush trails down his neck and he throws his head back against the pillows with a high pitched whine. “Richie, please.” Eddie bucks his hips up, “I need you. I need your cock.” 

Richie smirks, bending down to seal his lips around one of Eddie perked nipples and bites down causing the prince to cry out at the arousing pain. “Hm you need my cock, sweet thing? You want me to fill you up? Fuck into your tight dripping hole and make you come?” Richie thumbs over the head of Eddie’s cock. 

Eddie mewls, nodding his head and attempts to thrust further into Richie’s fingers. “ _Obsecro_ **_(Please)_ ** _!”_ Tears brimmed at his waterline when he feels Richie biting down on his other nipple, harder than last time. He opens his mouth to beg for Richie’s cock again but the words are overcome by the loud scream that escapes him. His body jerked and arched as two of Richie’s fingers pumped inside his hole. 

Richie entered him dry, using the come that was still inside him as the lubricate instead of the oil on the bedside. 

“Shit baby, you’re so fucking wet.” Richie groans, curling his fingers and thrusting them in and out of Eddie’s clenching hole. “Taking me so well, sweetheart.” He slips in his ring finger and pumps the three digits a few times before spreading them out slightly, stretching Eddie’s hole open. 

When they first began having sex, Richie had to open Eddie up with four fingers for him to be able to take Richie’s cock. But as time went on, Eddie began to beg Richie just to do three fingers because he craved the pain and stretch and who was Richie to deny? It seemed as if Eddie had quite a thing for pain during sex. 

Eddie cried, the tears spilling against his temples when he felt Richie’s fingers prodding at the sweet spot inside of him. It didn’t take more than four more thrusts of Richie’s digits before ropes of come shot from Eddie’s cock. 

“Doing so well for me, baby.” Richie coos, rubbing his fingers gently at Eddie’s prostate until the smaller man whines from oversensitivity. 

He leans up and captures Eddie’s lips with his and sucks lazily on his cherry red tongue. He doesn’t notice Eddie’s movements as the prince reaches over and blindly searches for the pitcher of oil. He dips four fingers in and scoops out some oil, spreading it over his palm.

Richie lets out a surprised groan and bucks his cock against the grip of Eddie’s oil slicked hand. 

“I wan’ your cock inside me, Richie.” Eddie mumbles, working his hand up and down Richie’s thick length. 

Richie hisses and nods, kissing Eddie again. He takes Eddie’s hand from his cock and takes it in his own, flicking his wrists a few times before lining it up against Eddie’s open hole. He hikes one of Eddie’s legs up over his shoulder while the other one he has perched against his hip. 

The gladiator slides in inch by inch so that he doesn’t hurt Eddie. Eddie is wincing and clenching down on his length as he tries to get used to the intrusion. No matter how many times they fuck, Eddie was never going to get use to how big Richie’s dick was. 

Richie stills when he bottoms out. His eyes train to Eddie’s scrunched face, pressing soft kisses onto the skin. He waits for Eddie to get used to the stretch before pulling out slightly and pressing back in. 

“ _Sic immanis_ **_(so big)._ **” Eddie babbles, nails digging harshly into the skin of Richie’s tender back. “Feels so good.” 

Richie leans down and begins to suck another mark on Eddie’s neck as he increases the speed of his thrusts into Eddie’s heat. He finds Eddie’s prostate quickly and angles his body to where he will be hitting that sweet spot with every thrust. Eddie screams loudly and digs the heel of his foot into Richie’s shoulder blade. 

“Don’t stop, Richie,” Eddie cries, the tears wetting the pillow underneath his head, “Please Richie.” 

“I got you, baby.” Richie groans into his ear.

He was intoxicated by the feeling of Eddie surrounding him. The taste of Eddie on his tongue. The smell of Eddie fogging his mind. The feeling of Eddie’s little body underneath him.

He feels Eddie’s dick twitch against his abs. “Are you going to come again, _parvus rosa_ **_(little rose)_ **?” Richie pistons his hips faster and harder, his full balls slapping loudly against Eddie’s skin. “Let me see you squirt, baby.” 

Eddie is babbling nonsense, clutching Richie close with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Richie grabs hold of Eddie’s thighs and digs his nails into the soft flesh, rolling his hips slowly. 

With one more hard thrust against his prostate, Eddie spills over with a shout, back arched beautifully and legs shaking. His hole had a vice grip on Richie’s cock and the gladiator could feel his orgasm about to burst. 

Eddie comes down from his high, all droopy eyed and blissed out smile. He runs his nails lightly down Richie’s back and digs the heel of his foot into his lower back. “Fuck me, baby.” Eddie mumbles sultrily and nibbles at the curve of Richie’s neck. 

That was all Richie needed for him to resume his thrusts, chasing his own orgasm. Eddie’s wanton moans and the loud sounds of skin against skin flood his ears. 

“I wanna taste you, Richie.” 

_Holy shit._ Richie slowly pulls out, drawing a pitiful whine from Eddie, and moves himself up to kneel on top of Eddie’s chest. 

He grips his cock, sliding his hand up and down the length. All it took was seeing Eddie staring up at him with his big glazed eyes, mouth opened, and his cherry red tongue sticking out for Richie to come. He shoves the head of his cock past Eddie’s lips and releases his load into his mouth. 

Eddie’s eyes flutter closed as he wraps his puffy lips around the head, suckling and licking the slit. He swallows every drop of Richie’s seed with a happy hum, dragging his tongue across his lips when he finishes. 

Richie climbs off Eddie and collapses next to him. He pulls Eddie’s sweaty body against his, placing sweet kisses against his face. 

“ _Te amo magis quam erat, rosa_ **_(I love you more than anything, rose)_ **.” Richie mumbles against his skin. He was so happy. 

Eddie’s tired eyes look up at him, a bright smile plastered on his lips. He raises his hand up, the golden ring glistening under the sun. 

  
“ _Te amo magis, gladiator_ **_(I love you more, gladiator)_ ** _.”_

_END_

**Author's Note:**

> i really hoped you guys enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it <3
> 
> let me know if there was any tags that i missed or should add on ! I don't want anyone to get triggered by anything ! call me out if i missed something ! seriously ! i will not get upset ! 
> 
> once again , the latin dialogue was google translated so don't attack me if it's wrong LOL ... BUT ,,, let me know what the correct phrasing or words should be and i will happily change it


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